She Doesn't Want to Dress Like Me.

My oldest is having wardrobe drama.

Popcorn has had wardrobe drama since she was old enough to say "no."  She went through a boy shirt phase.  She always wanted those blue striped boys shirts when she was two.  And I totally let her wear them.  Because what did it matter?  It's just a shirt.  She went through a monochromatic phase between three and four:  Whatever color she was wearing, it had to be that same color head to toe...

That was always interesting.  And really kind of cute.

Once she started she school mixed and matched clothing and came up with some outlandish outfits, and if I pointed out that orange shorts did not match a green shirt and purple socks, she would firmly declare she did not care.   And I would decide I didn't either as long as all necessary parts were covered and send her on her way.  Some of my friends were openly skeptical about that phase.  But, she passed it, and now she is in a trendy/pink/purple/sparkle/ten thousand accessories phase...

But the real point of this post is Bookworm's wardrobe drama.  She has always had one rule about clothing:  People must not notice or comment on what she wears.  A compliment from the "pop peeps" as she calls them meant that she would never wear that particular outfit again.  Because people noticed her, and she didn't like people looking at her...And she also had a stigma that popular people are not nice people, so she refused to be like them.  I assure you, she did not get this stigma from me.  I blame it on her bookwormish tendencies because the popular girls are always vicious in kids books. 

So, yesterday I found her on the living room floor.  Crying.  Because I will not let her wear her Justice shorts because they do not reach her finger tips.  And that is the dress code.  She claims that her arms go clear to her knees, so that rule is clearly unfair to her.  Yes, her arms are long.  So are mine.  She has long legs.  So do I.  It is hard to find shorts that fit her skinny frame that are also to the bottom of her fingertips.  However, there is a dress code.  And while I consider many rules stupid, and don't follow them myself (the speed limit being a prime example), I am making her obey dress code.  Apparently many girls are wearing very short shorts.  I can attest to this, as I've seen it with my own eyes.  But just because they are getting away with breaking the rules doesn't make it right...(insert speed limit comments here.)

Today is "blue out" at school.  This is homecoming week, so there are themes for each day.  I told her to wear her new school shirt (which is blue, duh) that her dad paid an exorbitant amount for, with a pair of capris.  Because her shorts are all in the wash.  She does not want to wear capris.  She wants to wear shorts.

That are too short.

I said, "What is wrong with these capris?  They are cute!  I would totally wear them!"

And to that, Gentle Reader, I'm quite sure she thought to herself "And you are 35 years old and I will not be caught DEAD dressing like you."

Strangely, she still refused to wear them.

So, I convinced her to wear a pair of shorts that I bought at a garage sale that are size 00 and too big in the waist for her.  I made her put on  a belt, did the experimental attempt to pull them off and declared them good.  And, just for good measure I pointed out that they are shorts from a very trendy store which means the original owner paid entirely too much for them, so she can go to school proudly in her name brand shorts, her over priced tee, and feathers in her hair and call herself cute.

And get over it if anyone comments on how cute she looks.